Archive for June, 2012

We feel like we’re kinda bingeing on Richmond events and festivals lately (like the recent Street Art Festival and Riverrock). But that’s what summer’s for, right? And this weekend was no exception. In fact, it was almost a literal binge thanks to the bountiful food at the Broad Appetit street food festival (held on Broad Street, hence the name).

The concept behind the event is that 60-something local restaurants gather in booths along Broad Street to serve up mini versions of their signature dishes for just $3 a plate. Since we don’t get out to “nice” dinners much anymore, it was a fun way to check out some local eats without having to wrangle a babysitter (Clara was happy to roll through in her stroller).

But enough talk. Let’s get on the “food porn.” Here’s what we munched on:

1. Seared scallops with charred corn and bacon with a tomato marmalade from Spoon. (My favorite of the day!)

My mom was digging through some old stuff the other day and found this little story I had apparently written and illustrated when I was just seven. Here’s the advice I can glean from having discovered it:

1.Choose a title that grabs attentions. Feel free to borrow revered historical phrases like “I Have A Dream” for your two-page, completely nonsensical story about basketball. Those aren’t big shoes to fill or anything.

2.People are over stories where the underdog triumphs. So tell a tale where “you help the good players on the team” – because everyone knows it’s the people with all the talent that need the most help, right? Also, be sure your comic book style drawings are peppered with disembodied speech bubbles (people will appreciate the mystery of wondering who’s talking) and include your own spin on traditional spelling (we think “forl” = “foul”).

3.People love before & afters. Especially ones where people transform their bodies (why do you think The Biggest Loser is so popular?) so include those wherever possible. Especially ones where someone’s long, skinny arm becomes shorter and more muscular, like an accordion that’s been folded up.

3.Keep your bio page short and sweet. If nothing else, use your “About The Author” page to (1) point out facts they’ve probably already gathered from your story and (2) impress the ladies (when in doubt, mention cats).